NOOB here.help with grow plans pls

[boodadood]

hello everyone...i am new to growing and need some guidance on some grow room supplies...im hoping to get your inputs on the shopping list i came up with....i plan on buying things in a couple of stages cuz of cash flow but all in all it will be purchased over the course of the next 2 months or so

ph Down
pH meter
rockwool starter cubes
germination tray with humidification cover
400 W MH/HPS dual digital ballast grow light with hangers, 6" flanged for air cooling
"Grow Lush" tent...a 4'x4' tent from usponics...mylar interior and oxford cloth exterior
temperature/barameter
resevoir thermometers
TDS meter
Advanced Nutrients 3 pack Micro, Grow, Bloom (one 3 pack of 1 liter btls for the whole grow?)
aeroponic system will be 8 plant sites on 2 45 gallon containers, each with a misting bar manifold on a common ecoplus pump
170 cfm 4" fan with ducting and fittings
4" carbon filter...the plan is to have the filter on the suction side, duct to the fan, then discharge fan to the light, and then light to duct outside of the tent
dehumidifier
co2 tank with solenoid, flow meter, and pressure reg
sentinel chhc controller...controlling temps with the fan, controlling humidity with the dehumidifier, and controlling the co2 with the tank and solenoid valve

my concerns are that the fan will be on the same time as the co2 and the co2 will just get sucked out of the tent

anyway, your comments on the tent, nutrients, and anything else is HUGELY appreciated...also, any good or bads about HTGsupply.com would be cool too as im planning on getting around 600 bucks worth of shat from them

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Re: NOOB here...help with grow plans pls

You'll need a temp/humdity gauge and not a barometer. Not big on CO2 for a small area like that. The fresh air suppply usually does it just fine. Get the other supplies first. I'd also get some rooting hormone like rootech or olivias if you plant to clone. The filter belongs on the exhaust. If not you'll be cleaning the air, getting it smelly by going though the tent and then exhausting unfiltered. You'll also need some timers.

What water will you be using? Tap or RO?

How often do you plan on changing the res. That's 90 gallons of water per res change and the liter bottles will go fast. You'll also need a couple of good size air pumps and at least 4 good size air stones to airiate the res for optimal growth.

HTG is top notch and I get all my lighting supplies from them. So far a 250 and a 400 watt light set up with cool tube reflectors. Thre lighting supplies are cheap in comparison but a lot of the rest of their products can be found ccheaper elsewhere. I also buy from here:

Discount Hydroponics - Grow Lights & Accessories

You are about to start on a wonderful journey. The plants we grow are not addictive but growing them is!

 

[FrostyBuds]

Scrap the plans for CO2. It is very expensive for the controllers and it is very difficult to dial in on a new setup. The whole environment is related to the CO2 and for it to work, fans shut down, temps rise turning on the fans, exhausting the CO2. Like MC said it is too small of an area.
Get the basics covered. Get a good handle on the basic setup. How it runs, temps, mixing nutes, maintenance schedule, and then once your comfortable, bored, or mastered it, then add the complex items such as CO2. Keep it simple and cheap to start but get good quality items as most items can be used in other setups, lights, meters and so on. After one or two grows you'll find things that work and don't work for you, but if you spend as you grow you'll waste less money learning, and you'll get products you'll be really happy with.
I thought I was gonna rock the world with a LED light. I didn't and had to buy another light. I saw the positives but didn't bother to look at the negatives. It cost way too much, was not equivalent to an HID, and I could have bought two of my 600w setups for the price of the LED. So be smart, don't reinvent the wheel. Stick to the basics that work and then expand.

Lights--HID, CFL's
Ventilation--temp, humid gauge
Grow mediums- clay, rockwool, domes and trays, gels, 3-5 gal buckets
Tent
Nutes--meters

I have had good luck with those same stores MC mentioned. I also have had good luck with bghydro.com . Do your homework look some of the tent grow journals and see what people have bought and used and then bought and didn't use.

 

[treeburner]

Sort of seems like you're making things a little more complicated than you need to. The CO2 is pumped up as being a great thing to add to your room and all the grow books will talk about it, but it's a fricking tricky thing to use and most of the time you don't need it.

Sometimes I think you can just exhale in your grow room and the plants are going to get enough CO2.

Or you might want to just see how things go with as few gimmicks as possible, then tweak things up when you see that things are going south. Don't fix the problems until you have them. And it's cool to anticipate problems, but it seems like sometimes that causes more problems to happen.

 

[boodadood]

wow guys thanks for the advice

id be using either tap water or water that is filtered thru my fridge...i would test the ppm and see what is the lowest....i dont want to get into the whole EC thing yet cuz as stated NOOB

how many parts of nutrients per part of water on the MGB from advanced? i guess i would need to figure that one out to judge the right amount of liters per grow...i was thinking with all the bubblers and jets and constant circulation of the pump i could get away with only swapping out the res every 2-3 weeks...but again NOOB

the plan is to go from seeds...this is the only chamber and the only one that will be built...time is no biggy, theres no reason for the SOG and its easier for me to get good seeds then worry about learning how to grow from clones and doing it good enough to support the weight im looking for

i hear you guys on the CO2....ive read alot of threads that have noted high ppm readings by just talking to the ladies for a bit...i want assurance in the product...i want great frikken bud...the kind i used to get and havent been able to for a while now....isnt there some reassurance in going with a tank and controller compared to going with whatever happens to be around in that room? i mean reallistically, how much difference would it make? from what i read it could mean twice the yield

the controller, the tank, the reg, the valve, etc...it all adds up to over 50% of my budget for the grow...if i can get away without it then by all means

8 plants, 4x4....400 mh for 4 weeks...400 12/12 hps for 6-8....what do u think?

 

[boodadood]

i guess what im asking is: is co2 the difference in quantity or quality....or both? or is that just way too of a complex question

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Would you drink the fridge. If not don't use it in hydro. If you want to do hydro right and get big buds you will have to get the EC thing. A good meter is a great investment in any hydro grow. It's grow by numbers at some point after you get some experience.
Experience is what counts heavily in any growing situation be it soil or hydro.

YOu need to follow the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. Personally as a new grower I think you should use 3/4 the recommended dose until you see how your plants like it. It is important to start slowly and be patient. That's the really hard part for a new grower and I can see it in your post. The rule is, when in doubt, don't do it. Ther are many ggrowers here that can help you become a great grower if you listen and learn. We all had to do it and the war stories are many when you stray too far from what is proven to be successful. Creativity is for later and will depend on many factors. The basics include vegging the plant to the proper maturity level for maximum yield with the right level of nutes, the right ph management, the right light set-up, the right genetics and patience, patience, patience in all that you do in the grow room. Dump the Co2 idea for now as that can be revisited later. Count on changing the res every week to 10 days for best growth. The need is especially important in flower as the plants are eating various nutes at various times in higher quanities than in veg because if nothing else the plants are bigger and trying to do their best for you.

8 plants - in a 4x4' tent- yes. 400mh for 4 weeks - depends on if the plant is mature at that point - personally I look for alternating leaves to indicate maturity. 400 12/12 hps for 6-8 weeks - depends on the strain - pure indica strains - yes, indica/sativa cross - maybe but 8-9 weeks is more common - it depend on what the seed provider says. Pure Sativa - no way - more like 10-14 weeks.

 

[MostlyCrazy]

CO2 is more for commerical growers. Both quality and quanity can be affected but learning the basics is more important. You will grow in skill as your plants grow and then it's time to upgrade to the pro level but no Co2 needed in a 4x4 tent. Thre are tons of things you can do to increase yield and you will learn what works for you.

 

[boodadood]

amen

thanks man...and thanks everyone else who replied....a couple of questions answered and im saving more than a few hundo off the bat

 

[MostlyCrazy]

Lots of help here:

The Deep Water Culture Home

We Deep Water Culture specialize in helping new growers. It's how we get our kicks! When you learn then it's . . . your turn!

 

[FrostyBuds]

boodadoo, some great plants can be grown outside in soil for under $20. Ok most can't grow outside, but don't over complicate things by going indoors. The Deep Water Culture will help you out, can point you in the right direction for starting a grow for a reasonable price. Kinda seems like you might have gotten caught up in the moment reading a HT. Most stuff they push is junk.

First grow keep it simple. Grow one strain only. Stick to basic nutes, no additives. Grow what will fit in the space for example 4x4, 6-8 naturally growing plants. The stealth hydroponics tub holds six plants, don't grow more then 4. The plants become to big for the small system. 2-4 tubs with 3-4 plants each would fit nicely in a 4x4 tent.

Just keep it simple to start. be a student first and learn then profess how fun it is to grow.